Monday, April 04, 2005

Point the first: I've been alerted to the posting of the latest in the continuing series of Unauthorized Beatles Covers back at Idyllopus' ranch. You can stream "Revolution" or download "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" and now the eternally-timely "Gimme Some Truth." They're all pretty amazing -- my personal favorite so far is "Happiness Is a Warm Gun," which has a sort of Wurlitzer carnivalesque bridge that, in combination with the quadruple-tracked effects-laden vocals, puts me in the mind of the "luminous poisoning hangover" scene in the original D.O.A..

See also What Would a Minoan Goddess Do?, a disquisition on the writings of The Free Online Casino Philosopher, the politics of underclothes, and the depravity of Marlo Thomas' "untethered breasts."

Point the Second: The super-secret unreleased Fiona Apple album is, well, decent. I don't know. If you're a Fiona Apple fan, it's great. Otherwise... your milage may vary. Thing is, for all the talk of a great artistic leap forward, Fiona's still writing exactly the same songs. And you take that however you like. Must-downloads: "Not About Love" and the amazing title track ("Extraordinary Machine"), on which Ms. Apple sings (I swear, though no one believes me) like Miss Peggy Lee (as arranged, perhaps, by Randy Newman). Sample the rest, delete where necessary.

At the New School, New York:Nonfiction Forum: Greil MarcusThursday, April 7, 6:30 p.m., Rm. 510Moderated by Robert PolitoGreil Marcus reads from and discusses Like A Rolling Stone: Bob Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone[NOTE: Not actutally the name of the book.].